SALT LAKE CITY – Davion Berry is no local publicity move, no charity case.

The former Weber State swingman is the real deal and fully deserving of the evaluation he received from the Utah Jazz on Friday, just hours before the team announced it had finally hired a new head coach.

Whether or not Berry ever gets to play for Quin Snyder remains to be seen, but Jazz player personnel director Walt Perrin said the ex-Wildcat wasn’t brought in as a favor to anyone.

“We would have probably brought him in regardless,” Perrin said. “He had a good career.”

Typically, as they have undertaken the process of their yearly pre-draft workouts, the Jazz have made efforts to bring in a few local athletes, even if they don’t have legitimate chances to make an NBA roster. Often it is done in order to help players with local ties get seen by foreign scouts or to help them find spots on summer league rosters.

It also doesn’t hurt to keep the lines of communication open between Jazz scouts and executives and coaches from BYU, Utah, Utah State, Weber State and other in-state programs.

But Berry was nobody’s favor. He has undergone a few workouts already and there are more scheduled in the future.

“It hasn’t been a great year in terms of the local guys, and I don’t know many more we’re going to have come in,” Perrin said. “There’s not a lot of seniors on this year’s group in Utah. (Berry is) one of them and we thought he deserved to be here anyway.”

Berry averaged 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for the Wildcats last season and helped lead them to the Big Sky Conference regular season title as well as a conference tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

He was member of the Big Sky’s All-Conference Team in 2013 and 2014 and was named the conference’s Most Valuable Player last season.

In two seasons with the ‘Cats he averaged 17.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest.

The Oakland, Calif. native is childhood friends with former Wildcat and 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard.

Berry said he and Lillard speak often and the Portland Trail Blazers star has shared advice about going through the sometimes unnerving pre-draft process.

“That’s my boy, we grew up together,” Berry said. “We talk, we communicate. He’s kind of tired of talking about basketball. That’s his job, basketball. We just kid about other things, but you know he gives me feedback and gives me good advice. That’s my big brother, so any advice I can get from him I’ll soak it up and take it in.”

Berry said Lillard’s success in the NBA has helped open doors for him. He also credited Golden State guard Steph Curry, who played collegiately at Davidson, with helping raise the prospects of mid-major athletes.

“It’s a long process for me, especially for me because a lot of teams and a lot of scouts haven’t seen me play just because I’m coming from Weber State,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t make it. I’ve just got to keep pushing. I’ve just got to take it one day at a time.”

The Jazz have long kept an eye on Weber State basketball and were aware of Berry early on, just as they were Lillard.

After the 2012-13 NCAA season they invited former Wildcat Scott Bamforth in for a pre-draft workout. That one was done more as a favor to school and to Bamforth, who has been playing overseas.

But when Perrin was asked if there has been a time when he was pleasantly surprised by one of those “favor” workouts, he mentioned Bamforth by name.

“He had a very good workout for us,” he said.

In all, the Jazz worked out a dozen players Friday. In addition to Berry, they looked at former University of Utah guard Shawn Glover and ex-Utah State center Jarred Shaw.

They are scheduled to look at nine more players on Saturday, including Arizona forward Aaron Gordon and Gonzaga guard David Stockton, son of Jazz Hall of Famer John Stockton.

Contact reporter Jim Burton at jburton@standard.net or on Twitter @StandardExJimbo.